Report from Glen Wulff
on
Penetration Challenges

In July of 1997, I had a visit from my UAP representative and the two principal representatives from ChemCraft, Inc., the company that manufactures EnviroMax. In our discussions, we discussed the run-off on my 1000 acres of potatoes, the challenges of the organic corn we were getting ready to plant and the future of organic crops.

The one thousand acres of potatoes had multiple soil types, including clay, caliche, sandy loam, and sandy clay loam. The problems we normally have with run-off have now been solved in our commercial potatoes with a two step method. We use PAM after dammer diking, which helps hold the reservoirs of the diking. Then we add 1 quart or 2 quarts of EnviroMax with the first irrigation (depending upon the soil type). The PAM held the indentations of the diker and the EnviroMax gave water the ability to disperse in the soil, which kept the reservoirs in tact. The same practice was followed in 1998.

Because we are establishing ourselves as organic growers, I asked my guests about organic nutrients and an organic product to aid in stopping run-off in the soon to be planted corn. The ChemCraft folks told me they could get me a product if we could get approval from the State of Washington for a proposed organic product. In about three weeks, ChemCraft sent UAP a product named PlantMaster II Organic Formula, which had received approval from the state. We applied 2 quarts per acre through the center pivot after dammer diking. We saw results within 10 days in the reduction of the amount of run-off. We did not check for yield results due to the late application of the product. We actually applied the product to reduce run-off and any yield increases are a bonus. The formulation is designed to reduce run-off as well as replenish micro-nutrients, vitamins, and other valuable elements to the soil.

In 1998 we applied PlantMaster II to organic acreage and EnviroMax to commercial crops. Results will be seen after the harvests.

Prev.  Next